Interlaken, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Interlaken: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Interlaken and Santa Cruz County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Santa Cruz County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.3 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Santa Cruz County compares with California
Santa Cruz County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Santa Cruz County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Santa Cruz County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 17.0 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 49% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 23% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.5% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 78% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.3% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.1% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 41% below the state |
Santa Cruz County sits below California on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above California on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Santa Cruz County: 1 in 22 crashes involve a garbage truck (22 since 2015), vs 1.6% across California.
Overview
Santa Cruz County has recorded 513 truck crashes since 2015, with 175 people injured and 16 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 8 days in fully reported years.
Interlaken had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Santa Cruz County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is September with 10.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 6.8%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.3% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (8.4%).
0.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-129 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (3). After it: US-101 (2), CR-MOUNT Madonna Rd (1) and CR-SAN Miguel Canyon Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 22 of the truck crashes here, or 4.3%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in April (18%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 4.5 deaths compared with 3.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Interlaken fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use SR-129, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at April schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Morning starts matter: 28.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than California.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Santa Cruz County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-129 | 3 |
| US-101 | 2 |
| CR-MOUNT Madonna Rd | 1 |
| CR-SAN Miguel Canyon Rd | 1 |
| CR-SAN Miguel Canyon Road | 1 |
| CR-TATUM Avenue | 1 |
| Carlton Rd | 1 |
| Elkhorn Rd | 1 |
| Freedom Blvd | 1 |
| Harkins Slough Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Santa Cruz County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-1 S/B | 8 |
| Sr-1 N/B | 4 |
| Sr-17 S/B | 3 |
| SR-129 | 3 |
| Rt129/1.3M W Old Chittenden Rd | 3 |
| Freedom Blvd | 3 |
| Alba Rd/.13Mi W Of Rt19 | 2 |
| Main St/Green Valley Rd | 2 |
Interlaken at a glance
| Land area | 9.8 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95076) | $91,099 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95076) | $792,851 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Santa Cruz County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | — | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 41 | — | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 43 | +4% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 42 | -1% | 1.4 |
In the 2000s about 41 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 42. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Interlaken
How many truck accidents are there in Interlaken?
513 truck crashes have been reported in Santa Cruz County since 2015, with 16 deaths and 175 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Interlaken?
NHTSA data shows SR-129 with 3 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Interlaken since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Interlaken?
September has the most truck crashes in Santa Cruz County, 10.1% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Interlaken?
Garbage trucks were involved in 22 reported crashes in Santa Cruz County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
How does Interlaken compare with California for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 17.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Santa Cruz County, vs 33.2 for California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Interlaken?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.